Dramatic cutback in Cup races possible

The deadly crash of the Artemis Racing catamaran last month could result in severely reducing the number of races in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series, the lead-up to September’s America’s Cup finals on San Francisco Bay.

Cup officials huddled Thursday over the possibility of significantly scaling back the challenger series, scheduled to begin in one month.

The schedule could be sharply curtailed because the Artemis team may not be ready to sail its new 72-foot catamaran in time for racing to begin as scheduled on July 7. The Swedish team’s new boat will incorporate the repaired wing from the boat that capsized during practice May 9, an accident that claimed the life of strategist Andrew “Bart” Simpson.

Artemis stayed out of the water for nearly a month before returning to practice Tuesday, this time in its five-man AC45, one of the two 45-foot catamarans it used in the America’s Cup World Series the past two years.

Tom Ehman, vice commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, said Wednesday that the 21 scheduled races in the challenger round-robin may be cut to as few as five, KCBS reported.

The Vuitton Cup

After the round-robin, the three teams will duel in the Vuitton Cup semifinals Aug. 6 through 14 before the final two meet in the finals Aug. 17 through 30. The winner will advance to face Oracle in the America’s Cup final Sept. 7 through 21.

Theoretically, Artemis could skip the round-robin altogether.

A dramatic cutback would jeopardize San Francisco’s hopes of recouping the $22.5 million it is projected to spend on hosting costs.

None of the four teams, including defender Oracle Team USA, would comment on the report Thursday. America’s Cup spokesman Tim Jeffery wouldn’t comment either, except to say, “There may be news (Friday).”

In an e-mail from Italy, Luna Rossa Challenge spokesman Francesco Longanese Cattani said there have been “ongoing discussions” on a reduced schedule, but he had not been informed of any decisions.

A blow to competition?

An Artemis spokeswoman said she hoped to be able to provide information Friday on whether the Vuitton series would be cut back.

If the Vuitton series is curtailed at all, it would be another blow to a competition that has been listing badly for many months. The decision to use sleek, high-tech catamarans resulted in costs so high that only three challengers were able to afford them.

As a result, organizers were faced with the prospect of trying to sustain a challenger competition over seven weeks involving only three teams – Artemis, Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand.

This year’s challenger field is the smallest in the modern history of the Cup. There was no challenger series in the last Cup in 2010, when Oracle beat Swiss defender Alinghi after a long legal battle over who was the rightful challenger.

The victory of Larry Ellison’s Oracle team led to the influx of speedy, expensive catamarans in a TV-friendly venue close to the San Francisco shoreline.

Boats going over

The dangers of the crafts were demonstrated in a series of capsizes by the 45-footers during the two World Series seasons. Moving to the 72-foot boats ratcheted up the risk, as shown when the Oracle boat capsized on Oct. 16, wrecking its 131-foot wing. None of the 11 crew members was hurt, but the mishap cost the organization millions of dollars in repairs.

On May 9, the sailing world was shaken when Simpson died after being trapped underwater for at least 10 minutes after another capsize in the bay. The team is still reeling from the death of the 36-year-old British sailor, who had won two Olympic medals.

At one point it was thought the team might pull out of the competition altogether. While the Swedish team is expected to compete, it may need more time on the water when it launches its new boat, using the wing of the wrecked vessel.

Taking precautions

After the Simpson tragedy, race officials listed 37 changes to improve safety, including a reduction in the maximum allowable wind speed in the finals from 33 knots to 23. “Thirty-three knots is ridiculous,” Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said.

It’s possible Artemis will not be able to race until August, leaving only the Italians and the Kiwis to sail in July.

“What happens then through the rest of July, on what days, involving what teams, is still up in the air,” Ehman told KCBS. “Don’t forget, America’s Cup is and always has been about the America’s Cup match – the finals, which is the big deal.”

But many tickets to the 21 scheduled challenger round-robin matches have already been sold. Sponsorship events tied to various dates have been set. A concert series at the America’s Cup Pavilion between Piers 27 and 29 has started, with at least three performances scheduled in July.